The Distance Between Us
by Sofiakkuma
Summary: [Tododeku] [Post-Sports Festival Arc] [Also on AO3] Ever since the sports festival, and ever since Midoriya learned about Todoroki's past, Izuku's been worried about him. Even though he lost the match between them, he still saved Todoroki that day, and that is something that he will never regret. Midoriya vowed to continue trying to become Todoroki's friend no matter what.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** My Hero Academia and all of its characters belongs to Kohei Horikoshi

 **Rated: T** for mild coarse language, implied/referenced child abuse

 **Timeline:** Post-Sports Festival Arc

 **Summary:** Ever since the sports festival, when learning about Todoroki's past, Midoriya continued to see his classmate in a new light. Even though he lost the fight between them, he would never regret saving Todoroki that day. Midoriya vowed to continue trying to become Todoroki's friend no matter what.

* * *

"Deku, over here!"

Midoriya jumped up at the sound of his name being called, turning his head in all directions to look for the source of it.

He spotted Uraraka standing nearby and waving for him to come over. Deku smiled, and trotted over to her with his tray of food.

"Hey, Uraraka!" He greeted as they both sat down at one of the cafeteria's tables near a couple of second years, "Where's Iida?"

"Oh, he just got in line to get his food!" Uraraka replied as she dug into her white rice with a pair of chopsticks.

Deku nodded at that, beginning to eat his food as well. He was starving throughout the morning classes, having forgotten to eat breakfast, so the lack of energy in his system was mainly his fault.

He lowered his bowl of rice to look at his friend sitting across from him, "Oh, by the way, Uraraka, I think it's so awesome that you got 20 offers for your internship! You were amazing during that match between you and Kacchan, no wonder heroes want you as an intern!"

Ochako beamed at the compliment, "Yeah, I'm really excited! Even though we still have two weeks until our internships start, I can't wait to train with Gunhead."

"Me too! I only got one offer, but I'm hoping to learn as much as I can in the time that we won't see each other."

They both indulged in conversation for a little while longer before Iida arrived with his food and sat down along with them.

Deku was enjoying his time with his friends when he saw a mop of white and red hair out of the corner of his eye.

He shifted his head to see Todoroki going to sit down at a table to eat alone, and he frowned a bit at the sight.

It was something Deku was used to seeing. Ever since the school year began, Todoroki mostly kept to himself, not really approaching anyone on his own. At lunch, he always sat alone and either played on his phone or just ate quietly. Yaoyorozu would sometimes gather up the courage to talk to him in class or sit with him at lunch, but other than that, Todoroki really didn't have many friends.

And Deku could definitely relate to that feeling.

As Iida and Uraraka continued to converse, Deku got up from his seat. They both shot him a confused look as he left his tray on their table and walked over to where Todoroki was sitting.

He wasn't sure how Todoroki would react. Besides the events during the sports festival, the two hadn't really talked much. Would Todoroki get annoyed? Would he even want to hang out with Midoriya?

Deku shook those thoughts from his mind and figured it didn't hurt to try. He knew everything that happened during the festival was a lot on Todoroki's shoulders, and he was worried about him. Maybe none of this was any of his business, but he still wanted to check up on him.

Shouto was going through some notes from class when he heard someone approaching him and looked up.

Deku gave a small wave and smiled nervously at him, "O-oh, hey Todoroki! I was just wondering if maybe, um, you wanted to sit with us for lunch? Me, Uraraka, and Iida, I mean! B-but you don't have to if you don't want to!" He rambled, mentally slapping himself for doing so.

A beat a silence passed as Todoroki just looked at Midoriya for what felt like forever, and as Midoriya waited for a response.

Eventually, Todoroki nodded and gathered up his stuff to move tables, "Sure."

A huge smile plastered over Midoriya's face in that moment, happy that he didn't have to see Todoroki eat alone anymore. They both walked back to Deku's friends and sat down, Todoroki sitting beside him.

At the sight of the newcomer, both Iida's and Uraraka's faces lit up, "Hi, Todoroki!"

"Hello," Shouto replied with his normally stoic face.

"Yeah, sorry for not telling you guys beforehand. It was a split-minute decision to invite him over," Deku spoke, rubbing a hand behind his head.

Iida shook his head, "Nonsense! It's always good having more company."

They all went back to eating and talking as Midoriya glanced at Todoroki every so often. He wasn't participating in the conversation much, only really talking when he was addressed. Midoriya tried his best to include him, not wanting him to feel left out.

As Iida and Uraraka got into the topic of english class, Midoriya looked over to see what Todoroki was eating, "You must like soba a lot, huh, Todoroki?"

Todoroki hummed, swallowing some noodles before speaking, "Yeah, my mom used to make it all the time. How did you know?"

Deku jumped up in his seat as a blush began to form on his cheeks, "U-uh! Well, I've just been watching you a lot recently and sorta noticed you always get that… Oh my gosh, wait, I didn't mean to sound like a stalker or something! Holy crap-" Deku covered his face with both hands, trying to hide his embarrassment as he continued muttering.

Todoroki just looked on, a small smile of his own forming, "It's fine, Midoriya. I know what you meant."

Midoriya peaked his head out from behind his hands to see a rare smile from Todoroki. He was dazed in that moment, and only snapped out of it when Iida spoke his name, "Midoriya, your food will get cold if you just leave it out in the open like that!"

"R-right! Sorry, Iida," he apologized before picking up his chopsticks to finish the rest of his lunch.

Ever since the sports festival, and ever since Midoriya learned about Todoroki's past, Izuku's been worried about him. Even though he lost the match between them, he still saved Todoroki that day, and that is something that he will never regret.

But wounds like the scars left on Todoroki mentally and physically don't just vanish with a couple of words, so Midoriya vowed to continue trying to become Todoroki's friend no matter what.

And seeing Todoroki smile like that, he wanted to help bring it out again and again.

Baby steps, he told himself.

* * *

"So, during the two weeks that you have until your internships begin, there is still more work for you all to be doing. With that being said, I'm going to be assigning a partner project."

The entire class groaned at the announcement, laying their heads on their desks or slouching back in their chairs.

Deku could hear Bakugou mutter "this really sucks" under his breath from his seat in front of him.

"Oh, c'mon, Mr. Aizawa!" whined Kirishima, "can't you give us a break between the sports festival and our internships?"

Aizawa's face seemed to darken at that, and the class suddenly grew silent, "If you expected to get any breaks during your time at UA, then you shouldn't have applied here."

Deku gulped. _Just like Mr. Aizawa to continue throwing hardships at us. Well, maybe this project won't be so bad! Plus, we get to work with a partner, so that'll make it a little easier, right? I can just work with Iida or Uraraka._

"Anyways, I'll be assigning your partner for this assignment."

 _Crap._ Deku silently panicked. He didn't really care who his partner was, as long as it wasn't Kacchan. And perhaps Mineta…

"Kaminari and Sero," Aizawa began listing the partner match-ups, "Uraraka and Asui. Yaoyorozu and Jirou. Todoroki and Midoriya."

Midoriya breathed a fresh air of relief as Aizawa listed the rest of the students. Even though it wasn't one of his friends, Deku was still happy to get Todoroki as a partner. It'd give him a chance to get to know him a little better.

"And that's everyone. The basics of the project is to write about a hero and their history. This includes their childhood, school life, family life, how and why they became a hero, and if they're still around today. You can pick any hero to write about, but it has to be someone within the last 20 years, got it?"

"Yes, Mr. Aizawa," the class spoke simultaneously.

"Alright then. It'll be due the day before you leave for your internships, and your papers will have to be at least 5 pages long. I don't want anyone choosing the same hero so go ahead and decide which one you'll be writing about. I'll leave a sheet up here for everyone to put down their pick."

As Aizawa finished speaking, the students got up from their seats to find their partner and start talking about the project.

Deku stood up from his desk and walked over to Todoroki, "S-so, what hero did you want to write about, Todoroki?"

Shouto looked up at Midoriya, "It doesn't really matter to me, you can choose whomever."

"A-alright, then… Well, how about All Might? I already know a lot about him and there's a lot we could put in the paper, s-so I feel like he'd be really easy to do!" Izuku shyly spoke.

Shouto looked back down at his desk, taking a couple seconds to respond before replying, "Yeah, we can do him."

Izuku softly smiled before pointing a thumb towards the front of the room, "O-Okay! I'll just go write it down before anyone else takes it."

He stepped away from Todoroki's desk and walked up to the sheet of paper that Aizawa had laid out. Picking a hero was really quick for them, so he was the first one to jot a name down. In scrawly handwriting, he wrote _"All Might."_

Putting the pencil down, Midoriya sighed. Talking to Todoroki was a pretty difficult feat, mostly because he really didn't talk that much and was standoffish.

But that wasn't going to stop Midoriya from trying to help and make sure he was okay. Todoroki might seem like a cold and stoic person from the surface, but Deku knew that was wrong.

Walking back to the fire-and-ice user, he figured it'd be a good idea to continue discussing what they should do for the project, "Hey, we should definitely hang out to work on the paper together. It'd make it much easier to gather information and decide how we want to lay it out."

Shouto nodded as he watched Midoriya begin to jump up and down in excitement about getting the chance to write about his favorite hero, "That's a good plan. My house is kind of off-limits though, sorry."

Deku shook his head, "No, that's okay! You can just come over my house. My mom would love to have company anyway," he chuckled, and pulled out his phone, "Do you want to swap phone numbers? Just so we can arrange a time and day and I can text you my address."

Todoroki took out his phone as well and switched with Midoriya, "Yeah, of course, but is it really alright to come over? I don't want to be a bother or anything-"

Midoriya stopped that sentence short before Todoroki could have a chance to finish it, "You won't be, I promise! We need somewhere to work on it anyway, right?" After inputting his number into Todoroki's phone, he handed it back, "So my house it is!"

Todoroki looked on with a bewildered face before lowering his head once again. He didn't give a response, pulling on the cuffs of his sleeves. Deku was about to ask him what was wrong when Uraraka grabbed his hand, "Hey guys! Which hero did you pick for your paper? Me and Tsuyu chose Thirteen!"

Midoriya smiled at his friend, "That's so cool! They seem fun to write about. You could talk about all the disasters they've saved people from. Me and Todoroki are going to do All Might."

Ochako laughed, "Just like Deku to choose his favorite hero!"

Deku blushed a bit at that and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you," Midoriya tilted his head in confusion at her, "Me and Iida were planning on hanging out after school today. Did you want to come?"

Deku's face brightened at the idea, "Sure! I could use a small break from school."

"I hear you on that one," Uraraka grinned from ear to ear.

And just like that, Deku had forgotten he'd been talking to Todoroki beforehand, and felt bad about ignoring him. He turned around to see Todoroki just writing stuff in his notebook, not really bothered.

"Um, T-Todoroki…" Midoriya began nervously as the addressed boy glanced at him from his seat, "Did you want to hang out with us too? We'll probably be going to the mall or a café, if that sounds okay to you…?"

Todoroki was shocked at the question. He'd never really hung out with people before, let alone in public spaces. He really wanted to hang out with Midoriya, but… "I'm sorry, I can't," he lowered his head shamefully, "My father was pretty persistent about training with me today."

Deku instantly grew crestfallen, knowing that Todoroki's father wasn't the nicest guy around.

 _Understatement of the year._

"Oh, that's okay! M-maybe next time, then…?" He looked hopeful.

Todoroki nodded, "Sure. Next time."

Deku smiled. _A small victory is still a victory._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** and that's the first chapter! i don't expect this story to be too long, maybe 3 or 4 chapters in total.

i should be able to update chapter 2 pretty quickly, so keep a lookout for that!

and as always, i love english dubs :')

-sofia


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** My Hero Academia and all of its characters belongs to Kohei Horikoshi

 **Rated: T** for mild coarse language, implied/referenced child abuse

 **Timeline:** Post-Sports Festival Arc

 **Summary:** Ever since the sports festival, when learning about Todoroki's past, Midoriya continued to see his classmate in a new light. Even though he lost the fight between them, he would never regret saving Todoroki that day. Midoriya vowed to continue trying to become Todoroki's friend no matter what.

* * *

Todoroki limped up to his room, having just bandaged the burn on his knee. He shut the door behind him, walked over to his desk, pulled out the chair from under it, and then sat down.

He rested his elbows on his legs and laid his hands on his face. The pain from the burn was numb, but it was a sensation he was used to, more than he should be.

His father was pissed; more pissed than Todoroki had ever seen him.

He had gotten second place in the sports festival under Bakugou, and his father had no problem showing Shouto the consequences of that.

They sparred together as usual that night, but in the outraged state that Endeavor was in, Todoroki wasn't able to fully concentrate. He flinched more times than he liked to admit, an instinct that developed in him throughout the years when it came to that man.

And now he sat in his chair, bruises and burn marks littered over his body along with a split lip.

He still had homework to do, and his father wouldn't hesitate in teaching him another lesson if his grades dropped, so he took out the math homework from his bag and placed it on his desk.

He could ignore the pain.

About halfway through the sheet, he heard his phone buzz to the right of him. He picked it up to check the new message, figuring it was Fuyumi telling him that she was heading home.

But he was surprised to see a text from Midoriya.

 **Midoriya:** hey todoroki! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ sorry for texting you so late, i just wanted to make sure i didn't put the wrong number in your phone, it's happened before 」(￣▽￣」)

 **Todoroki:** It's okay. I was just working on the math homework anyway. And don't worry, you put in the right number.

 **Midoriya:** oh thank god. anyways, i wanted to ask if tomorrow was a good day for you to come over and start the project? i just think the faster we get it done, the less stressed about it we'll be!

Todoroki stopped at the question. His father wouldn't be home tomorrow, so leaving the house definitely wouldn't be an issue. He was just nervous about going over someone's house, and with injuries on top of that. He had already rejected Midoriya about hanging out though, and he would feel bad if he did it again.

 **Todoroki:** That sounds good. What time?

 **Midoriya:** i was thinking we could actually just walk straight from school to my house, if you want? that way you won't have to walk any extra distance?

 **Todoroki:** I'm fine with that.

 **Midoriya:** awesome! don't worry about bringing anything, we can just use my computer to write it

There was a slight pause as Todoroki was trying to figure out what to say next when he was sent another message.

 **Midoriya:** oh! i also wanted to tell you good job for getting second place in the sports festival! that must feel so awesome! i forgot to mention that earlier

Todoroki could almost laugh at how ironic the statement was if it weren't for the numbing pain he was in. Nonetheless, his heart fluttered at Midoriya's praise and he nervously texted back.

 **Todoroki:** Thank you.

 **Midoriya:** no problem! anyways, i think i'm going to head to bed now. i'll see you tomorrow at school! good night todoroki! ( ^.^)ノ

 **Todoroki:** Good night, Midoriya.

Todoroki put down his phone, sighing in relief now that the conversation was over. It's not that he disliked talking to Midoriya, he just never really had any friends, and it took a lot of energy out of him figuring out how to respond.

The conversation definitely helped him feel much better though. There was so much he had to thank Midoriya for.

He thought back to their interactions earlier at school. He was surprised when Midoriya asked him to eat with his friends at lunch. In all honesty, it made Todoroki nervous. He didn't know what to say most of the time and continuously felt like he was being a burden. Maybe he shouldn't eat with them anymore, it was so obvious he was a social wreck.

But when Midoriya mentioned how he noticed Todoroki liked soba and started getting nervous, it actually made Todoroki _smile,_ something he felt like he hadn't done sincerely in years.

Everything having to do with Midoriya was just new to him, and he didn't know how to feel about the change.

And then there was the project he had to work on with him. How are you supposed to act in someone else's house? Around their mom?

Todoroki decided to just put all of his thoughts and anxious feelings away for the night and finish his homework. He could deal with it all again tomorrow.

* * *

"Good morning, Todoroki!"

Shouto was just setting his school bag on top of his desk when he looked up to see Deku smiling at him.

However, Deku's bright smile instantly fell when he saw the split lip on Todoroki's face.

"What happened to your lip…?" Midoriya asked gently in a soft tone.

"It was just from sparring yesterday, don't worry about it," Shouto spoke evenly as he sat down in his chair.

Midoriya didn't look convinced, and it seemed like he was about to say something else when Iida's voice boomed over the room, "Alright, class 1-A! Our teacher is about to arrive any minute, so please get into your seats!"

Midoriya quietly walked to his seat behind Bakugou without further questions, and Todoroki was glad for the interruption.

"Hey, Todoroki," he turned his head to see Momo talking to him at her desk, "Sorry if this isn't any of my business, but how'd you cut your lip?"

She looked concerned too, and Todoroki was feeling guilty for making everyone worry about him. He should've tried to cover it up or something.

"It's just a cut, I'm fine, really."

But his reassurances that he was fine didn't stop the constant glances that were thrown his way from the two students throughout the rest of the lessons.

* * *

When lunch arrived, Todoroki sat by himself to eat once again. He wasn't sure if Midoriya inviting him over to his table was just a one-time thing, and he didn't want to be rude by just barging in.

So once he grabbed his regular order of soba from Lunch Rush, he slightly limped his way over to an empty table. The burn on his knee still hurt from yesterday, but he tried his best to hide it.

He pulled out his phone to scroll the news for a bit, and saw that Fuyumi had texted him back. He was worried when she didn't come home last night and had asked her where she was.

 **Fuyumi:** I'm so sorry for not telling you, Shouto! I just stayed the night over a friend's house. Father was getting really angry so I wanted to get out of there. He didn't hurt you, did he?

Todoroki couldn't blame her for leaving the house. Anyone would want to stay away from Endeavor when he got mad.

 **Todoroki:** He was pretty upset about me getting second place in the sports festival and not using my fire to win. He just roughed me up a bit, nothing I can't handle.

 **Fuyumi:** Oh no, I'm so sorry, I should have been there. When you get home today, I'll cook you your favorite, okay?

 **Todoroki:** It's fine, I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to stay there any longer either. And I'm actually going over a classmate's house to work on a project after school, so I won't see you.

 **Fuyumi:** Really? Shouto, that's so awesome! I hope you have fun!

He closed the messaging app and was about to open the news app again when he felt someone staring at him.

He lifted his head to look around and saw a mess of curly hair and green eyes turned in his direction.

Midoriya was sitting with his friends and glancing his way with a worried look, but once Todoroki met eyes with him, Deku swiftly turned his head away.

Todoroki blinked, not really sure what to make of that interaction, and just went back to eating. He hoped he didn't do something wrong.

* * *

"Okay, students! In today's class of hero basic training, we'll be conducting one versus one battles!" All Might bellowed as the class stood in front of Ground Beta where they'd be facing off, "I'll draw names once again to see who will be facing each other."

"So it's kind of like the final round in the sports festival, right?" Tsuyu asked as she laid her pointer finger on her chin.

"Not quite," All Might replied, "This time you will not be allowed to use your quirks!"

The entire class gaped and began glancing at each other with confused faces. Jirou spoke up first, "But sir, don't we need to practice fighting with our quirks to become heroes?"

All Might lifted a finger at that as he went on to explain his statement, "Hmm, good question! Does anyone have a guess as to why I'm doing it this way?"

Tokoyami raised his hand before answering, "Because we won't always be able to rely on our quirks, sir, and we need to know how to fight without them as well."

All Might gave Tokoyami a thumbs up, "That's correct! You never know when a villain might have some kind of cancelling-out quirk like Aizawa, or if you'll ever be in a situation where using your quirk could do more harm than good. That is why it's very important to know how to fight with and without them. Anything can happen and you have to be prepared."

The class nodded, looking at All Might in awe at his wise words.

Midoriya internally squealed. _All Might is so cool!_

All Might put on his signature grin and struck a heroic pose before bellowing, "Alright then! Let's draw and start up the first match!"

* * *

Midoriya ducked underneath Kaminari's arm as it came rushing towards his face. He evaded to the right before grabbing his opponent's wrist.

Kaminari yelped as Midoriya twisted his arm and attempted to throw him to the ground. In that second that he began to pull, however, Denki pushed his legs off the earth and barreled into Midoriya, knocking him flat on his back.

Deku let out a strangled gasp as he slammed into the ground beneath him. Kaminari was on top of him, pinning his arms and legs. _Crap, I'm trapped! What do I do?_ Deku internally panicked as he looked from right to left for an exit, _some_ kind of way out of this!

It was then that Denki lifted his right hand as if backing off, an apologetic look on his face, "Woah, sorry, man! Didn't mean to-"

 _This is my chance!_

In one single move, as his opponent was caught off guard, Deku smashed his palm into Kaminari's face. He pushed and shoved until the scene that was played out earlier was reversed, Denki on the ground instead.

Midoriya slowly stood up as he panted heavily, looking down at Kaminari in case he tried to continue fighting.

Luckily, it seemed like his classmate was out of juice; Kaminari wasn't budging. Instead, he was groaning in pain and covering his now bleeding nose, "Damn, Midoriya, your grip is no joke…"

"And that concludes young Midoriya and Kaminari's match! Midoriya is the winner!" All Might proclaimed, the rest of the class cheering beside him.

"You were so awesome, Deku!" Uraraka ran over, her fists in the air.

"Eh, better luck next time, dude," Sero chuckled, kneeling down beside his friend.

Deku blushed and flailed as Ochako continued to compliment him, but eventually composed himself and turned back to Denki, "Good game, Kaminari! You're really fast, and your punches were super strong," Deku smiled as he held out a hand to his classmate.

Denki grinned up at him and reached for the offered hand, "Speak for yourself!" He got up off the ground and dusted the dirt off his clothes, "But yeah, good fight!"

All Might nodded as the students walked off the battle stage, giving Midoriya a discreet high-five as he walked by. He turned back to the rest of the class, "Alright, next up is young Kirishima and Tokoyami!"

Midoriya walked with Ochako back to where Iida was, ready to watch the rest of the fights.

He saw red and white to the right of him and turned his head. Todoroki was staring down at his left hand, a look on his face that seemed like he was yearning for something.

Midoriya decided to walk up to him with no hesitation, having a bad feeling about what that look could mean, "Todoroki."

Shouto looked up, not seeming fazed in the slightest, but almost a little upset, "Midoriya. Good job on your fight."

"Yeah, thanks…" Midoriya frowned, staring at Todoroki's split lip.

Todoroki noticed, and turned his head away without saying anything else.

"Todoroki, I know you're hurt."

Shouto was quick to snap his head back at that, "What?"

Deku gulped, nervous to confront him, but knowing it had to happen eventually, "Y-your leg, I saw you limping on it earlier during lunch. Is it broken-?"

"It's fine," Shouto spoke curtly, fixing the sleeves on his hero costume to make sure the bruises were covered.

Deku glanced at his classmate's movements, concerned and confused beyond belief, "You're not fine, Todoroki. I don't think you should fight in the next match, you might injure yourself further-"

"I said it's fine, Midoriya. I can handle it."

Those words iced over Deku's bones just like they did back during the sports festival in that dark hallway. Todoroki began to walk away, and he wanted to reach out then, pull Todoroki back from whatever dark hole he was walking into.

But Midoriya didn't know what to say at the moment, let alone do, so all he did was watch and hope for another chance to confront Todoroki.

* * *

"Kirishima is the winner! Young Todoroki and Bakugou, you're up!"

Todoroki sighed as he clenched his fists, ready to get this over with. He was usually more focused during these training exercises, but today his whole mind was jumbled up.

After that short talk with Midoriya, he felt even worse. He didn't mean to lash out at him, he just didn't want to think about anything that happened last night. Not his father, not his powers, nothing.

"Hey!" Bakugou shouted, grabbing Todoroki's attention. His face looked as angry as it always did, "You better not hold back this time, or I'll kill you!"

Todoroki just blinked, getting into his fighting stance. He had to focus; no time to dwell on useless things right now.

As soon as All Might gave the cue to begin, Bakugou rushed into Todoroki's space with a right hook.

It was times like this that Todoroki was grateful for his father's abusive training methods.

He dodged Bakugou's hand by stepping to the left, throwing his own right arm out to attempt a punch to the stomach.

Bakugou, of course, wasn't having it, and he grabbed the arm that was coming towards him with both hands. His hold was powerful, and Todoroki couldn't budge. In a swift movement, Katsuki lifted Todoroki's arm higher, ready to throw him over his shoulder.

 _Damn it, what the hell am I doing?_ Todoroki clenched his jaw, trying to focus. He thought back to training with his father, trying to think of a move that could help in this situation.

Todoroki heard someone shout "die!" in the back of his scrambled head, and knew that was the cue to snap out of it.

Shouto kicked out his injured leg at Bakugou's shin and caused him to lose his balance, landing on his hands. Todoroki hissed as he bent down to get the pain from his burn under control.

He didn't expect the jarred movement to mess up his injury so much, but that didn't matter right now.

He heard Bakugou approaching him and he looked up, Bakugou's face seething and induced with rage, "Come and face me for real, Icyhot! The hell are you so distracted for, huh!?"

 _"Snap out of it, Shouto. Being distracted will only get you killed. You'll never be a hero if you can't even use your powers without second-guessing yourself for God's sake."_

Todoroki began shaking with anger ever so slightly, glaring at Bakugou with just as much venom as his opponent directed towards him, what has been directed towards him ever since he was a child.

Seeing that look on Todoroki's face made Bakugou falter, giving Todoroki a chance to analyze his surroundings and figure out what to do next.

The same feeling that he felt during lunch hit him again in that moment. It wasn't the feeling of his class watching him, but of someone being concerned for him, searching for an answer, a reason as to _why._

He found a mop of curly green hair and worried green eyes staring right at him, the same eyes that he remembered seeing during the sports festival. His eyes widened, and he couldn't look away.

 _"It's yours! Your quirk, not his!"_

"I'VE GOT YOU!" He heard a sudden shout from behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He felt the presence of someone rushing in to pound him into the ground, that same presence during the sports festival. The same, it was all the same, and yet, it also felt like danger, like fire ready to consume him, and like he didn't have a second to think.

 _"Use your left side. Do it, Shouto!"_

And he just _acted._

He threw his left arm out behind him, flames licking up from his neck to his fingertips.

He heard a strangled yell in front of him that sounded oddly familiar. _A classmate… wait, Bakugou…?_

 _It… wasn't a threat._

Todoroki was in shock as he fell to the ground, his arms behind him and looking up as Bakugou tended to a small burn on his hand.

All Todoroki could do was sit there and watch as Kirishima rushed to Bakugou's aid, as Midoriya ran up to him with his mouth running a mile a minute, and as All Might's voice boomed over the suffocating atmosphere, "Todoroki is disqualified for using his quirk! Bakugou is the winner of this match!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** eeey i'm back with the second chapter ! i know last time i said i would be able to update quickly, but college life got in the way haha

so i hope you guys enjoy this longer-ish chapter ! thanks for all the support, it means a ton !

-sofia


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